When Debbie Donovan started here, banking was going to be a temporary stop while she finished college to be a legal assistant. “I’d do my thing and be done,” she says. That was more than forty years ago. If you’re an INTRUST customer, you may know Debbie as the Market Manager for north Wichita. She’s been in management positions for years now, but prior to that, she filed checks, prepared statements, and worked as a teller and banker. Because she’s held several positions here over many years, we ask her: Why do you and many other employees choose to stay at INTRUST long term? She smiles, and without hesitating, says, “I love what I do.” But in addition to that, she says, it’s really these things: “It’s a great company, from executive leadership down to the managers I’ve had and the employees. We prioritize the customer experience.” From day two of teller training, she explains, employees learn that they’re the face of the bank. Every interaction matters. Banks have the same products and services, and authenticity is where they can set themselves apart. “When you bank with us, we’re going to learn your name," she emphasizes, "because it’s important to us that you feel known.” She says that's what makes staying an easy decision for her — and it makes coming to work worthwhile.
Every year around this time, our technology team flips the switch on routine and dives headfirst into Inno-Spark, a two-day innovation sprint where ideas fly, snacks flow, and employees get to stretch their creative muscles in new and exciting ways. The goal? Pitch an idea that streamlines a process or reimagines how we collaborate. This could include improving internal processes, solving a piece of feedback that our customers have given us, or simply making life easier for our co-workers. Teams are scored based on their idea’s clarity, creativity, impact, scalability, and overall quality. Our technology team says Inno-Spark is more than a tech event — it’s a reflection of their department culture. As an innovative and creative team by nature, allowing time for experimentation and collaboration helps bring viable solutions forward that can make a difference for everyone at INTRUST.
From Kansas to Oklahoma, Team INTRUST laced up their sneakers this spring for local races and wellness initiatives. Over 1,500 miles were logged by employees in Junction City and Manhattan during K-State Research and Extension's Walk Kansas health initiative. Our Oklahoma team participated in the OKC Memorial Marathon and supported the OKC Indian Clinic in its health fair, one-mile walk, and 5K. In Wichita, nearly 100 employees and their family members joined the River Run events within Riverfest, the largest community event in Kansas. Whether walking, running, or cheering each other on, we're proud to strengthen and celebrate our communities one step at a time.
Our annual summer picnic at the Sedgwick County Zoo is always a fun time, especially when the evening weather is beautiful and the animals are active. Employees, retirees, and their families enjoyed food, feeding the giraffes, and petting the stingrays. And of course, a zoo trip isn’t complete these days without seeing the new baby elephants.
From teenage teller to department manager, Ashton Osburn credits much of her 17-year (and counting) career journey here to an incredibly supportive management team and an easily accessible growth and development program. She joined us as part-time teller in Augusta the summer after she graduated high school and continued to work while attending Wichita State University. “I feel like what kept me here was my manager at the time was very supportive of my changing class schedules and made sure I could balance work and school,” she says. “I couldn’t have done it without that support.” By the time she graduated, she’d been promoted to banker but wasn’t sure about her next step. Her manager had some ideas. “She saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself and had never considered —,” says Ashton, “leadership.” So Ashton started pursuing open roles and taking both internal and external growth and development classes. She quickly earned an assistant manager position, and then, naturally, banking center manager. Today, Ashton manages the treasury and commercial deposit operations department at our downtown Wichita office. Reflecting on her 17 years here, Ashton believes initiative and excellent customer service are the cornerstones of both her success and the bank’s — values she’s grateful are reinforced for all employees on day one.
At our annual Service Awards Breakfast, chairman and CEO, Charlie Chandler, always enjoys the opportunity to personally recognize and thank employees who recently celebrated employment milestones. This year, we recognized 126 employees with work anniversaries ranging from five to 50 years. There was at least one employee in attendance from every department at INTRUST and half of our total physical locations. Collectively, that's 1,620 years of institutional knowledge. Thank you to all our employees for your efforts every day. Whether you've been here less than a year or more than 40, we appreciate your dedication to our customers and commitment to the communities we serve.
“Honesty builds certainty and trust, which are integral parts of any type of relationship. Without it, you can’t truly work together or accomplish anything.” Elisabeth Sass, support specialist - consumer banking operations, believes that honesty is key to maintaining the integrity of how we do business and building trust with both our colleagues and customers. That’s why she’s this year’s recipient of our Cultivating Character award for Honesty, an internal recognition that invites employees to nominate a co-worker who exemplifies a specific character quality that defines who we are as a company. “My role includes answering questions on complicated situations and reviewing external documents for our consumer banking team,” she says. “Giving truthful, honest answers to questions, even if its ‘I don’t know, but I’ll certainly try,' builds trust with those I assist.” “To me, honesty is about so many different things, though,” she continues. “Making a mistake and owning up to it so you can learn from the experience and apply it for better future decisions, taking the initiative to find the answers you seek, being able to know you did the best you could with the information you had, and still being able to admit if you are wrong.” Congratulations, Elisabeth!
At INTRUST, volunteerism is often a team activity. 2024 was full of visits to local food pantries, a Habitat home build, deliveries for Meals on Wheels, blood drives, and more. We’re looking forward to the opportunities 2025 will bring!
Our commercial relationship managers will tell you their job title is more than a label, it's a way of doing business. "We like to get to know our customers and take care of them," says Debra Handy, a senior commercial relationship manager in Oklahoma City. "I think a lot of people find that helpful." Debra is a CPA by trade. Prior to working for banks, she audited them. “I did loan review for high-risk banks,” she says, “so I’ve seen things succeed and fail.” Over her extensive career, she’s worked for major accounting firms, small banks, and large banks. She’s also performed financial accounting for non-bank entities. It’s how she knows we're in a sweet spot — one that’s beneficial for our customers. "We're the best of both worlds," she says. "We have the size, capacity, and sophistication to serve commercial customers of all sizes and a community bank mentality in how we handle day-to-day decision making and deepen our relationships.”
“Vesting means ownership,” says Carol Owens, manager – retirement. “It means if I were to leave this job today, how many of those 401(k) dollars do I own and get to take with me." “We match dollar for dollar up to 6%,” she continues. “And when we say, ‘immediate 100% vesting,’ that means all of the money you’re putting in, and the money we’re matching, is yours — immediately.” "It’s one of several benefits of the INTRUST employee 401(k) plan, and it may not be something you’ll find everywhere," says Brian Petri, manager – NestEgg U, our retirement education and communication program. "There are three components of the plan that make it a really valuable benefit for INTRUST employees.” The first is the match. In addition to the 6% dollar-for-dollar match, employees also receive a 3% year-end contribution. You’ll own that extra 3% once you’ve been with the company for three years. The second is a focus on tax advantages. Employees have access to our retirement staff and the NestEgg U curriculum to help them determine if they should contribute their dollars pre-tax or after-tax. “And the third is our focus on making sure your investments adjust with you as you progress toward retirement,” he says. “It’s incredibly important that you’re in the right investment mix for your age, and we automatically help you with that."
